In this week's episode, host Karli Burridge speaks with fellow obesity specialist PA, Ledyi Ballesteros, about how Ledyi's own struggles with her weight led her to the field of obesity medicine, and how she has developed the obesity program at Gonzaba Medical Group, a multispecialty clinic in San Antonio TX, which serves a primarily low-income, elderly, Hispanic population. Ledyi explains how she developed the obesity program, and how she is able to help her patients using culturally sensitive, economic, patient and family-centered approaches. Ledyenska “Ledyi” Baez Ballesteros, MPAS, PA-C Ledyi—a bilingual provider treating patients who speak Spanish and English—began working in internal medicine and urgent care at Gonzaba Medical Group (GMG) in San Antonio, Texas in 2011. She founded the obesity medicine program at GMG in 2015 after gaining around 100 pounds after complications with her first pregnancy in 2014. Ledyi, who now has two kids, subsequently embarked on her own weight loss journey the following year, and her patients began to ask her about it. The resulting pilot program started with an estimated 60 patients. Today, she runs the obesity medicine program at GMG with nearly 700 patients, 75% of whom are Hispanic. Ledyi completed AAPA’s Obesity Management in Primary Care Training & Certificate Program in 2018 and earned the Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Management for NPs and PAs from the Obesity Medicine Association in 2020. For the past 2 years, she has served as the the Secretary of PAs in Obesity Medicine, and she has been instrumental in helping PAOM become an official caucus of the AAPA. Ledyi has presented on the topic of obesity to members of AAPA, the Association of PAs and NPs, Bexar County Society of PAs, the Society of Army PAs, and the Texas Association of PAs. Contacts:Email: ledyens@yahoo.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ledyi.ballesterosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ledyenskaballesteros/PAs in Obesity Medicine: pasinobesitymedicine.orgPAs Interested in Obesity Medicine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/754655381353212Gaining Health: https://gaininghealth.com/Support the showThe Gaining Health Podcast will release a new episode every Wednesday, alternating between interviews with experts and "What's Up Wednesday" scientific updates.For a roadmap for developing an obesity program, editable forms and templates, patient education materials, and more, check out Gaining Health If you are loving this podcast, please consider supporting us on Patreon